My Name Is Naruto Namikaze

CHAPTER WORDS:- 1047

Chapter 24: First Battle

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At present, Mizuki, being a Chunin, clearly had superior strength compared to Naruto.

Naruto was keenly aware of this fact.

Although, in the original story, his counterpart had seemingly taken down Mizuki with ease, that victory relied heavily on the overwhelming force of the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, swarming Mizuki with sheer numbers. \

Naruto also believed that Mizuki had underestimated him and given him the opportunity to form the necessary hand seals. Without the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, Naruto didn't think he would have any real advantage.

Moreover, the situation now was completely different from the original story. Mizuki was far too close to Iruka. If Naruto attempted the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu now, although he could perform the seals without a problem, he couldn't guarantee Iruka's safety. Those critical two to three seconds could very well determine Iruka's fate.

Naruto didn't want to take the risk.

He would close the distance a little further and wait for the perfect moment to deliver a decisive blow!

A spark of determination flickered in Naruto's clear blue eyes.

He twisted his right hand slightly, and a kunai appeared in his palm. Feeling the cold, solid weight of the blade, Naruto focused on suppressing his presence—something he learned after pestering Iruka to hell—as he carefully crept toward Mizuki's blind spot.

At this moment, neither figure in the clearing had noticed Naruto's silent approach.

Both Mizuki and Iruka were entirely focused on each other.

Mizuki even took his time wiping his kunai, his expression eerily calm, the faint smirk at his lips radiating a chilling malice.

"Iruka, you don't belong in the ninja world…Since we were once friends, let me be the one to send you off!"

The killing intent in Mizuki's words was palpable. His silhouette blurred for an instant. A faint afterimage remained in his place as Mizuki surged forward at terrifying speed, closing the gap between himself and Iruka in a heartbeat.

In that split second, Iruka's pupils shrank as he attempted to move, but the sharp pain radiating throughout his body froze him in place. He was unable to shift his stance.

"Goodbye, Iruka!"

The cold, menacing face, along with The kunai streaking toward him which aimed unerringly for Iruka's left chest.

In that moment, it felt as though time had frozen.

A bone-chilling sensation swept through Iruka's entire body, as though death itself had gripped his soul. For the second time in his life, Iruka found himself staring death in the face. The only other time was that night years ago…

In this fleeting instant, memories flashed through Iruka's mind like a flickering slideshow. He saw familiar faces from across his 20-some years of life.

"Father… Mother… I'm coming to join you…"

"Naruto… I'm sorry…"

There was no time to react. Or rather, he simply couldn't react. The kunai plunged forward.

Shlick!

The sound of metal piercing flesh rang out. Iruka felt the icy touch of the blade and the searing pain spreading through his chest. Was this the end?

"Iruka-sensei!"

Just as Iruka was about to close his eyes and accept his death, a familiar voice rang out.

"Bastard!!!"

At the same time, Mizuki's angry shout broke through the silence.

In the next moment, Iruka's blurry vision caught a flash of gold—a figure that appeared as if from nowhere. The kunai, which Iruka had been certain would pierce his chest, suddenly veered off course, slicing past him instead.

Clang!

The sharp sound of metal colliding echoed through the clearing.

Thud!

A dull crash followed, and a cloud of dust billowed up into the air.

"ugh!"A loud grunt accompanied a powerful kick.

Iruka watched in astonishment as Mizuki's body was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the ground and skidding several feet before coming to a stop amidst a cloud of dust and debris.

"You're okay, right, Iruka-sensei?!" It all happened in an instant. Or perhaps it felt like an eternity to Iruka, who had teetered on the edge of death. His left chest still throbbed painfully, and the wound forced a sharp hiss of breath from him. But the pain was a clear sign—he was still alive.

Lifting his head, he saw the familiar golden-haired figure standing before him, his face filled with worry.

It was Naruto.

His student. The boy Iruka cared for like a younger brother.

'Naruto… you saved me,' Iruka thought. That was his first reaction. But in the next instant, Iruka's mind snapped back to reality.

"Naruto?! What are you doing here?! Hurry! Get out of here! Mizuki tricked you! He's a traitor to the village! The Scroll of Seals he made you take is one of the village's top secrets! Only the Hokage is allowed to see it! You need to go back now! I'll hold off Mizuki!"

Despite his injuries, Iruka forced himself to stand. His gaze flicked toward the dust cloud where Mizuki's silhouette was beginning to reappear. Iruka's expression darkened.

Before Naruto could respond—

"Escape?! None of you are escaping today! You're all going to die here! I'll personally send you to hell!"

The dust finally settled, revealing Mizuki's battered yet furious face. His expression had twisted into something truly savage. The blood trickling from the scrapes on his face only added to his grotesque appearance.

"This game ends now!" To Iruka and Naruto's shock, Mizuki pulled a syringe from his pocket. Before either of them could react, Mizuki stabbed it into his left arm and pressed the plunger.

The green liquid within the syringe quickly flowed into Mizuki's bloodstream.

In less than a second, Mizuki's body began to expand. His chakra surged wildly, filling the air with a violent and oppressive aura.

"What… what did you do?!" Iruka's expression shifted drastically. Instinctively, he moved to shield Naruto behind him, but even that slight movement tore at his injuries, sending sharp pain radiating through his body.

Iruka winced, his brow furrowing in pain. The fresh injury Mizuki had inflicted earlier had worsened his condition. Although the blow hadn't pierced his heart—thanks to Naruto—it had torn his wounds open even further.

'A fight? Now?' Iruka realized, to his horror, that he could barely stand, let alone fight. That realization sent a sinking feeling straight to his gut.

(End of Chapter)

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